Sweet Tooth #22 Review

The truth about the dam revealed!

"Endangered Species" is quickly becoming the most poignant arc of Jeff Lemire's Sweet Tooth saga. After issue #21 blew my mind with its stellar character work and narrative structure, issue #22 follows up nicely with a traditional issue that furthers the creeping narrative. Lemire throws us for a loop by the end of this issue, finally revealing the inevitable truth about Walter and his too-good-to-be-true home. We see the group of wanderers take sides with one another, where we get a subtle payoff from Gus and Jepperd's moments in last issue. In all, the narrative of this installment proves just how well calculated a storyteller Lemire is. In true Sweet Tooth fashion, any glimmer of hope that was possible is now completely lost.

Lemire offers nothing nearly as complex as issue #21 in terms of art, but does introduce some new visual elements that we haven't seen before. In a scene that sees Singh realizing the error of his ways and accepting the words of Richard Faunin as gospel, Lemire show us sketches on lined notebook paper that both fit in his style and feel completely removed from the inner workings of the book. In a few short pages, Sweet Tooth #22 adds a whole new layer to its ongoing mythology and a new mystery to its plot.

Heading into its third year of publication, Sweet Tooth #22 is further proof that the best is yet to come.